Charter agreement urgent, says IFA
John Dillon, president, was speaking following a meeting with Department of Agriculture officials, during which the IFA pressed for reasonable and fair procedures for inspections of all aspects of cross-compliance under the new single farm payment scheme being introduced in 2005.
The IFA set out key demands under cross-compliance for a new consolidated inspection arrangement, an emphasis on administrative checking and verification using existing data, reduced levels of on-farm checks, 14 days advance notice of inspections, and a single farm visit.
Mr Dillon also proposed a correction and correlation programme for CMMS to allow farmers correct information held on the database without incurring any penalties. He said a reasonable level of tolerance must be built into the inspection process to take account of unintentional errors at farm level.
The new single farm payment compliance rules must not be a barrier to farmers embracing the new freedom to farm regimes brought about by decoupling. Mr Dillon said the fact that Ireland has led the way in decoupling must be matched by fair and practical rules of cross-compliance.
Farmers must not be in fear of inspections on their farms and a reasonable tolerance level must be part of the process.
Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association president Malcolm Thompson, who also met with the Department, said the ICSA is insisting on a farmers’ right to appeal not only the rights and wrongs of a penalty but also the level of penalty.
He said the level of penalty should not exceed 1% in the case of farmers making a genuine effort to farm in accordance with good agricultural and environmental standards.
“ICSA holds no brief for wrong-doers but we are committed to principles of due process,” he said.
